Open Source as a Force for Social Impact

GitHub’s Social Impact, Tech for Social Good team explores how open source software and digital technology can help nonprofits and the broader social sector deliver better outcomes worldwide. Open source software (OSS) brings a key advantage to this work: it reduces duplicative efforts, which is especially critical in time-sensitive humanitarian contexts. It also fosters global communities and supports inclusive design and development of solutions that serve diverse populations.

One significant initiative involved partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO). Beginning in 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, GitHub worked with WHO to strengthen its inner source software development processes. More recently, this collaboration led to the creation of the first Open Source Program Office (OSPO) in the United Nations system. This OSPO will support WHO staff globally in using, producing, and eventually releasing open source tools.

A prominent example of OSS in global public health is DHIS2, the largest health management information system in the world. In collaboration with WHO, DHIS2 has been used for COVID-19 tracking, response, and vaccine delivery, and it operates in health information systems across 69+ countries.

Broader Socioeconomic Benefits

This work extends beyond WHO. An OSPO within the UN system can generate more open source software that other UN agencies, governments, and I/NGOs can adopt. It may also boost OSS employment opportunities in low- and middle-income countries. Some of these tools will be certified as digital public goods (DPGs)—open source solutions that meet the DPG standard and are designed to help advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The significance is clear: from health management information systems to pandemic tracking tools to carbon footprint measuring systems, DPGs address key global challenges, make trusted open source technology more accessible, and can help advance global equity.

What to Watch

GitHub is developing new tools to make digital public goods on GitHub more discoverable and to create engagement opportunities with the WHO OSPO. Updates will be published on the GitHub Social Impact website.